Fewer Hingham selectmen meetings means big agendas

Saturday

Aug 5, 2017 at 12:29 PM

Carol Britton Meyer cmeyer@wickedlocal.com @CMeyerJournal

During the summer the selectmen meet less frequently, which makes for packed agendas.

A compressor station task force was created at a recent meeting and charged with advising the board as to the range of issues to be considered relative to the proposed compressor station in Weymouth. The site is less than two miles from Hingham.

Citizens with an interest in serving on the task force are encouraged to fill out talent bank applications online at hingham-ma.gov. Appointments will likely be made at one of the board's August meetings.

The selectmen also agreed to send a letter opposing the proposed station to the U.S. Dept. of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration asking them to complete a risk assessment before construction begins. "We think that location poses all kinds of hazards and risks, and this federal agency has the jurisdiction to request a risk assessment," Selectmen Chairman Mary Power said.

"The Hingham market is an important and vibrant part of our community with vendors offering a variety of products. It's a great way to support local businesses, " Power said. "It's one of the oldest in the state, and year after year the attendance grows."

Capital projects

Pleasant Street resident Beth Rockoff urged the selectmen during the public comment period to keep an eye on all the potential capital projects -- library renovation, Town Hall, senior center, Foster School, fire station, etc. -- that are on the town's radar screen to avoid duplication of efforts -- i.e., a number of these projects could include an auditorium or already have one (Sanborn Auditorium at Town Hall) -- how many does the town need? for instance. "The board agreed this was a good idea to avoid unnecessary overlaps and to use taxpayer dollars wisely," Power said.

The idea of the senior center using the community room in the proposed new bathhouse at the bathing beach for some of its programs is another idea. "The library proposal could include more meeting rooms, so perhaps we wouldn't need as many at Town Hall," Power said.

Another related topic was potentially moving North Fire Station [currently in West Hingham near the former Tedeschi's] to the school bus depot area to avoid needing a fourth fire station. "This would put the station in a better position to cover more of the town, including central Hingham, which would allow Central Fire Station [on Main Street] to cover parts of town that are further south," Power said. "This would allow us to meet all of our emergency response times with only three stations, without building a fourth -- that's the plan."

Selectman Paul Healey is a strong supporter of having only three fire stations in town -- the current number -- and is not in favor of building a fourth.

Goals

By their Aug. 8 meeting, the selectmen expect to have a final draft of goals and objectives for Fiscal 2018, following several conversations about which ones should be their focus.

Of top priority is exploring the possibility of building a parking garage in downtown Hingham to help ensure its continued viability. "We understand that the lack of adequate parking could cause people to take their business elsewhere," Power said. "This would be a multi-year effort."

The idea is to keep the goals at a reasonable number to avoid "trying to put 10 pounds of sugar in a five-pound bag," she said. "We want to be mindful of how much we take on, aware that issues can come up unexpectedly that require our attention, which has happened in the past."

Other possible goals are revisiting prior efforts to gain Town Meeting support for implementation of an accessory dwelling zoning by-law that would allow in-law apartments under certain circumstances -- suggested by Healey -- and targeted tax relief and better use of social media to enhance communication with citizens, proposed by Selectman Karen Johnson.

Also under consideration as a goal is gathering best practices from other communities related to maintaining their historic character -- information that could be useful to various Hingham boards and committees.

The town's athletic fields could be another focus, in particular potential replacement of the lights at Lynch Field. One of them is no longer operable and the others are difficult to repair. The field is well-used by baseball and football teams, including for night games.

New streetlight

The selectmen approved the installation of a new street light on upper Water Street as requested by residents concerned about how poorly lit that part of the roadway is. Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant will install it, and the town pays for the electricity, hence the required board approval. "It makes sense because people walk down Water Street at night to the bus stop [at Station Street and to the businesses that are open in the evening]," Power said.

Other business

Hingham's litigation counsel recommended and the selectmen agreed that the board should intervene in Eversource Energy's proposed acquisition of Aquarion Water Company. "It has to go through the Department of Public Utilities -- there are different regulatory agencies reviewing this proposal," Power said. "Intervenor status gives the Town of Hingham the ability -- if it chooses to do so -- to be heard by the DPU on the proposed acquisition. It's like getting in line in case we have something to say about it down the road."

Power also announced that oral arguments related to the town's litigation against Aquarion Water Company to determine the purchase price of the portion that serves Hingham, Hull, and Cohasset are expected to be heard in Superior Court in early September.